Original subtitles

Janek!

Janek, come quick!

-Lenta, not now! -Now! Quick! It's important!

All right! What is it?

A local farmer and beekeeper…

Look at this.

…saw the vessel?

Uh, yes. Uh… close by.

And this vessel was a flying saucer.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen,

a Polish man has made contact with an alien civilization.

I invite you all to join me to discover

and learn more about this unique and extraordinary event

exclusively on Edge of Poland, Heart of Space.

PROJECT UFO

PROJECT USO

With poppy?

-Yeah. -With poppy.

-We'll leave this with you. -If you have to.

Is your daughter Sara Borewicz?

We'd like to speak with her.

Uh… Uh… Uh-huh.

-Hey! Good morning. -Hey.

So?

Are you happy now?

Have a seat, Janek.

Hunger strikes in Warmia?

I'm such a fool.

You don't give a shit about hunger strikes.

Wera, you stole my fucking story.

You took it and used it for your own good.

You treated it like some cheap, little tabloid story.

But it's not just a story to me!

I'm serious here, Wera!

This event is… It's…

Janek, sweetheart, are you really this naïve?

How can an old pro like you not understand?

Because of my piece,

your show is now going to enjoy the best ratings it's ever had.

My show promotes your show. You're welcome.

By the way,

the secretary wants to see you immediately.

What?

What for?

And why did he ask you to give me the message?

Henryk and I don't keep secrets from each other.

The secret police came to see Sara.

Well, that's a good thing, I guess.

That way she can share her own story.

Why all the fuss, Zbyszek?

Who cares whether or not a UFO landed in Truskasy?

It's not a UFO, it's a USO.

USO.

Yeah, USO.

I have a moral obligation to tell others what I have seen

and to convince the non-believers.

And what about your obligation to your daughter?

Oh…

Sometimes I wish you'd disappear from our lives.

I think it would have been better

if it was you who'd disappeared back then.

Yes. You're probably right.

Come in!

I believe you wanted to…

I believe you wanted to see me, Comrade Secretary.

Please, have a seat. Relax. Don't worry. Sit down.

I know that you're not happy about our decision to broadcast Wera's show.

I know it, and I'm very sorry about it.

Honestly.

But we really had no other choice.

Her program… had to be broadcast immediately.

Let's just say… it was for… political reasons.

Have you really thought about what it means

that fucking aliens visited Poland?

They chose Poland!

Well, actually, I was thinking…

Don't think too much, Polgar. It's a bad idea.

You might turn into one of those weirdos!

Don't take it too much to heart.

Janek…

You don't mind if we use first names, do you?

I mean, we already share my waterbed, so I feel like we're friends now.

Janek…

The reason I brought you here…

is that, considering the latest revelations,

both the Central Committee and I have decided…

to throw a party.

For our friends.

And I was thinking what a good idea it would be

to have our most recent star at the heart of the party,

Józef Kunik.

Huh?

Hmm?

And don't forget Sokolik.

Bring him along.

He can bring the old man.

You know, when I told our dear Wera about the plans for a party,

she couldn't believe it.

She screamed with excitement.

Honestly.

And she said to me,

"Henryk, darling, you must talk with Janek."

Why me, comrade?

My little Wera wants you to be happy.

She's so generous.

Well, then… will you ask them to come?

-Mm-hmm. -Good.

Take this time… to make your show.

You'll soon receive footage of that kid that saw the UFO.

Why don't we call it my gift to you?

Good evening, Józef, welcome!

Let me help you with that.

Hey, Zbyszek. Follow me.

The hotel's right here.

Be careful, Józef! Watch yourself!

So? How was your trip? Not too tired?

STATION HOTEL

-Good evening. We have reservations. -Hello, everything is ready, Mr. Polgar.

Room 408, and you'll be on the fourth floor.

Thanks very much.

This way, Józef.

You'll have time for that later.

I'm sorry, but the elevator is out of order.

It's an inconvenience. I'm so sorry.

Uh-huh.

The stairs back there?

Yes.

Greetings, halfwits. Your Gray Virus speaking.

Welcome to all residents of the Gama planet

in our next telepathy from the cycle "Wild corners of Space."

Our correspondent, Andros Zaorro, landed today on planet Purchla,

whose residents call it Earth.

Yes, yes, dear halfwits. It turns out Purchla is inhabited.

Ha! Not so long ago, around a million years ago…

Józef?

Hmm.

Sorry to interrupt.

Have you seen my friend, by any chance?

Józef!

What are you doing down here?

Good morning, Józef.

Did you sleep well? Have you had breakfast?

Did you go out last night?

-We have a problem. -Yeah?

-Yeah. -What kind of problem?

Mr. Kunik, uh…

Well, he spent the whole night asleep in the lobby.

He can't sleep in the room.

These hotels, they're just not for me.

My apologies, Józef.

I wasn't thinking. Tonight, you can come and stay with me.

But right now, we have to leave. We have a busy day ahead of us.

Zbyszek?

Listen, it's best if… you stay here.

The show you did with Weronika was a little premature.

Quite unnecessary.

Józef Kunik! Józef Kunik!

Hold it up! Hold it up! Higher!

WELCOME, UFONAUTS

-Yes, hold it up! Beautiful! -Józef Kunik!

-Very nice! Excellent! -Józef Kunik! Józef Kunik!

And… thank you everyone! Please take your seats.

Take your seats now. Ewa, Ewa. C'mon, scram!

Mr. Kunik.

Mr. Kunik, we're ready for you.

Good evening! Good evening, everyone.

How are you?

My name is Jan Polgar,

and tonight I welcome you to a very special edition

of Close Encounters.

It's a special edition because tonight we have a very special guest with us.

Mr. Józef Kunik,

the first Pole who claims to have spoken with extraterrestrial beings.

Enjoy the evening.

Ladies and gentlemen,

to quote the great Bard himself,

"There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

It was a complete accident when I first heard of Józef Kunik.

But once I heard the news, I rushed straight to Truskasy,

the small frontier village in Warmia where he lives.

From the very first moment of our first meeting,

I knew this was a man who I could trust.

The discovery of what we now call the Polish Roswell

would not have been possible or even imaginable

if it wasn't for the interviews and specialized tests

that prove, beyond the shadow of a doubt,

that this event is quite simply remarkable.

And, to add to this,

a second witness of these remarkable events has come forward.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I invite you all this evening to watch something extraordinary.

An exclusive interview with a young girl, Sara Borewicz,

who also claims to have encountered the exact same aliens as Mr. Kunik.

Sit back, and let's watch her interview.

Were they green?

Yes.

And they looked like this?

Mm-hmm.

And they came in a flying saucer from outer space?

From outer space.

I'm home!

Honey! Come in, Józef, take your coat off. Just put it right there.

And I'll get that.

Lenta!

Let me introduce to you

the very first Pole to have encountered extraterrestrials.

Mm. Well done.

Józef is gonna be spending the night with us.

A gift, ma'am. Some honey made by my bees.

We went to Polna market. Look!

It's time to celebrate!

-And when will Mr. Sokolik join us? -Yeah.

He won't be joining us tonight.

May I lie down, please?

Now? But, Józef, we were just about to… to celebrate our great success.

Don't listen to him, follow me.

The bed is in here, you can lie down.

Please.

It's heartless to use an old man like that.

-He saw the aliens. -You can lie to yourself.

But don't you dare lie to me.

He's so brainwashed, he'll believe anything you tell him.

And who's fault is that? Mine, right?

-Or the Russians? -You are so naïve.

You're just… jealous!

-You've always been jealous. That's it! -Mm-hmm.

Hello?

One moment please.

It's for you.

Hello?

How come you never told me?

I couldn't.

-You're lying. -I swear it's true.

I'm not lying.

Listen, after that show you did with Wera,

everybody knows what you discovered.

Well, the truth is…

nobody really knows what I did. Nobody!

Why didn't you mention the USOs?

C'mon, Zbyszek, don't be mad.

And what's with that interview with Sara?

Have you no mercy at all?

How could she know if they came from outer space or underwater?

-Those are just details. -Precisely. Important details!

What's important is that aliens landed here in Poland, in Truskasy.

And that's the only thing that counts, not where they came from.

In any case, I've got some good news for you.

You ready?

You have been invited by Secretary Wierusz himself

to a party in honor of our achievements.

-Seriously? -Yes.

I'll come by and pick you up tomorrow.

That's perfect timing, Janek. I had an idea…

an equipotential idea that I believe could explain these recent events.

That's great. You can tell me about it tomorrow.

You can count on me.

You told me once there has to be doubt before anyone can believe.

Mm-hmm.

Do you remember saying that?

Sure. Yeah, maybe.

-Good night, Janek. -Good night.

"The Truskasy Encounter"?

This is what you're working on?

Yeah.

Then, might I suggest you read this?

What is it?

Let's just call it a coincidence.

A few years ago, near Truskasy, Mr. Kunik's father had visions.

Visions of the Virgin Mary.

What?!

Yup.

She appeared in a tree.

So they cut it down.

No.

-That's impossible. -Nothing is impossible.

I can't believe it.

Oh, I'm finished. I'm completely fucking finished.

The tendency to confabulate and to hallucinate is…

hereditary.

We can't let this come out.

Have you shown it to anybody at all?

Of course not.

This book is very important to me.

Honey Bear.

IGNACY KUNIK FROM TRUSKASY HAD A DIVINE REVELATION

POLISH UNITED WORKERS' PARTY

Are you feeling all right, Józef?

I'm, uh… a bit queasy.

I feel like my stomach fell through the floor just now.

Solidarity, remember?

Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please!

Our guests of honor have arrived. Bravo!

My wife, Lenta.

Lenta Nalecz.

The pleasure's all mine. Wierusz.

Comrade Secretary, allow me to introduce you to Józef Kunik.

It's an honor to meet you, sir. Thank you for being with us.

And Zbigniew Sokolik, the man I spoke to you about.

And an eminent ufologist himself. Janek is a bit jealous.

Really? Wierusz.

Mamzer.

It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person.

Ah!

Your electric charge is impressive, Mr. Polgar.

Hmm.

Lenta.

-I'm a huge fan of yours. -Oh.

I believe we've met before.

I don't think that we have.

The university dormitory? In Kiev?

I've never been to Kiev.

Ah. An honest mistake. I do apologize.

Will you raise a toast with us?

-To Close Encounters! -I don't drink.

So, were these beings hostile towards you, Mr. Kunik?

Eh…

Do you think that they might visit you again sometime?

Would you now consider that you are on friendly terms with them?

And what sex were they? Maybe they don't have any sex.

Maybe.

A few years ago,

I was traveling for business,

and I met some really strange-looking Americans.

Marian! Nobody's interested!

Everyone here has already heard your old jokes.

Mr. Kunik,

maybe you'd be able to introduce us to these…

…Frog People?

Maybe they could take us away from this place.

-I mean, take us to another planet, not… -Of course!

Uh. May I… if you don't mind,

um, touch you, Mr. Kunik?

Just once?

Uh… Me too.

Enjoying yourself?

More and more every minute.

I presume you watched Polgar's show?

Yes, I did.

You didn't mention USOs either.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today

for a very special occasion.

-Mr. Kunik, join me on the stage. Please. -Józef. Careful.

The man you see here

is an ordinary man.

A man of the people, one might say.

He is the first Pole to make direct contact

with an extraterrestrial civilization.

Mr. Kunik spent two hours

in an Unidentified Flying Object,

otherwise known as a UFO.

USO.

Pardon me?

Unidentified Submersible Object.

Actually, it so happens

that I was the one who invented the term.

-Mr. Suklick. -Mr. Sokolik.

Mr. Sokolik.

How can it be a submersible

if he saw it flying through the air?

A submersible craft can easily fly, that's not a problem at all.

We have documented evidence of sightings of USOs

going all the way back to the 17th century.

And as I have illustrated many times in my lectures and my presentations,

uh, the Earth is crisscrossed by subterranean tunnel systems.

Why is it so difficult for you to understand?

What the hell are you going on about?

Mr. Kunik was on board a flying spacecraft.

One calls them saucers.

Am I right, Mr. Polgar?

Absolutely, Mr. Secretary…

-Although… -What?

It's actually shaped like a cigar.

Cigar, saucer, who gives a shit!

Let's all just agree that Mr. Kunik was flying in the sky.

Excuse me, sir.

As I've already mentioned to Mr. Polgar,

there's also the possibility

of an equipotential explanation for what happened.

-What? -Excuse me.

It is quite possible that Mr. Kunik was under the influence of hallucinogens.

Mr. Secretary, we conducted very extensive tests on the subject,

and that possibility was ruled out. Am I right, Kittel?

He's right.

And besides, we have a second witness,

uh, who also saw a flying object, not a submersible one,

so it is impossible that both witnesses are lying.

Alright, I have had enough of this fucking nonsense!

Let's see if Mr. Kunik is telling the truth.

Mr. Mamzer,

please join us.

Mr. Mamzer requires no introduction.

He's a world-renowned hypnotist.

I propose that we put Mr. Kunik in a deep state of hypnosis

to discover if he is lying or not.

Comrade Secretary, I'm not sure this is a really necessary…

The die is cast.

Follow me into my office please.

What is that?

A hypnoscope.

It tests your susceptibility.

Mr. Kunik, do you feel any change?

What do you mean?

I mean, do you feel any different?

I feel a slight pressure.

Tonight, ladies and gentlemen,

before your very eyes,

I will put this man into a deep state of trance.

I will repeat some words,

and then I will count to three and snap my fingers,

and he will fall into a deep hypnotic sleep.

Then, when he hears the word "UFO"…

he will tell us exactly what happened that day in Truskasy.

Józef, repeat after me…

-One. -One.

-Two. -Two.

Three.Sleep!

Mr. Kunik, on February 10th,

did you witness a UFO?

Solidarity, remember?

UFO?

Yes, I saw it.

I was on my way home from Rapa…

on my horse and cart…

with my beehives.

I took the forest road that leads to the Kuleza field by the lake.

And then I saw two small creatures, two green creatures.

They were running around between the trees.

They looked like little frogs.

And they had webbed feet.

Webbed feet.

You heard what he said. Webbed feet.

An unidentified submersible object, the USO!

An unidentified submersible object!

Good evening, General. Welcome.

Sir, are you truly the first comrade

to have made contact with an alien civilization?

Uh… Uh-huh.

It is a privilege to meet you, sir.

Congratulations.

And did they leave you any kind of message?

Uh… Protect the oceans.

Of course.

The oceans.

Indeed.

We are all simply drops

in the ocean of Polish history.

♪ There's space between us ♪

♪ No connection ♪

♪ Human weaknesses ♪

♪ It's in your blood ♪

♪ It's in your blood ♪

What a roaring success, Wera.

Wonderful! The General was utterly delighted.

Have a drink!

-Congratulations. -And one for you, my dear.

-Ha-ha… And you. -Oh, thank you.

-Thank you, Janek. -Hmm.

Well done!

You're a very lucky woman, Lenta.

Cheers.

And by the way,

I think we should all start seeing each other a little more often.

Yes, what a wonderful idea!

-Enjoy the moment. -What will happen to… Sokolik?

Janek, I think you should just forget about this Sokolik person.

He's really not a bad man, he's just a little set in his beliefs.

Yes, we're all good men when we're sober.

He sells illegal alcohol, and he supports Solidarity.

Private Bielecki speaking.

One moment, please.

Borewicz, it's for you.

Corporal Borewicz.

THE WAVE - ELECTRONICS REPAIR SHOP ZBIGNIEW SOKOLIK

Your luck ran out, huh? You'll get 10 years for this.

IF YOU HAVE SEEN HIM, CALL: 787 88 927 671

POLICE

Sweetie. What are you doing out here?

They were electrofishing again.

Sara!

It's poaching! It's illegal, you can't just…

I have something to tell you.

It's about your father.

It's okay. You don't have to say it.

-Uh... -I already know.

Look.

-I can see stars in the lake. -I'm so sorry.

You see? Look how shiny they are.

Quick, give me the net!

Hold me!

Hold me tight!

What the…

POLICE

Hey.

-So you got promoted. -Uh-huh.

Good for you.

I guess that USO story finally paid off.

It wasn't the USO. It was your booze.

Sara and I found this at the bottom of the lake a while back.

I didn't have the courage to bring it to you earlier.

I'm sorry, Zbyszek.

No one abducted him.

He was at the bottom of the lake.

Julia, look at me.

I mean, really look.

What happened to me? Huh?

When did it happen? How?

I think we all got lost a little bit. That's all.

You know that I fixed the television for Sara?

I know you did!

She really wanted to come visit.

But…

-She didn't. -Did you hear? Polgar published a book.

Co-wrote it with his wife.

Take care of yourself, Zbyszek.

You'll be all right.

And you can keep the hand. I asked them.

Julia?

Can I ask you for a favor?

THE TRUSKASY ENCOUNTER

-Thank you. -Here you go.

-Next. -Can you dedicate it to Zbyszek…

Sokolik.

"What I'm going to tell you may sound crazy, but recently…

in the village of Truskasy, near Bartoszyce,

a man named Kunik encountered…

strange, green creatures

that looked like… frogs."

"Creatures like these have never been seen here before."

"I know this…

because I've lived in Warmia my entire life."

"These creatures then abducted Kunik…

and brought him to their spaceship."

"Actually, I believe this incident

to be worthy of investigation by the authorities."

"My neighbor thinks that it may be the Chinese."

"But I think

it is more serious than that."

"I think…

that these creatures may be aliens."

"Yours sincerely…"

-"Helena Podgórska." -"Podgórska."

Polish Roswell.

What?

You wanna know how I did it?

I know that you hypnotized Kunik.

His son, Stefan…

He knew that I had studied hypnosis in Kiev, and he convinced me to do it.

But I guess this was really the brainchild of your friend, Wierusz.

What did they want to distract us from?

What were they trying to hide from us?

I understand.

You had good reason to be mad at me after the show.

And you were right.

This was never about you.

I did it because I wanted people to believe what I believed.

To believe in underwater creatures.

Creatures

that had abducted my brother.

But now…

There's nothing you can do about that now.

You can't change what's happened. It's too late.

Look, Zbyszek.

Is there a book?

Yes!

And are there frog people in the book?

Yes, there are. The book is proof.

It contains the proof of everything you called the Polish Roswell.

And you know what else? You're named as the discoverer, my friend.

Your lies have become the truth.

-We are live in four minutes. -Okay, I'm ready.

It's fine. Leave it. Go.

I'm sorry.

We have another presenter for today, Madam Wierusz.

What do you mean? Who?

The new Prime Minister.

You're going to need to put on your new uniform.

I'm not wearing this.

Sir, can I have one more moment, please? One other question.

-Zbyszek. -Yeah?

One thing that I don't get.

How could you hypnotize your own daughter?

That girl, Sara Borewicz. She's your daughter, right?

Yes. She's my daughter.

But I never hypnotized her.

-Good evening, Madam Wierusz. -Good evening.

I hope that green suits you, Madam.

The flag on this side.

Hurry up! Come on!

Faster! Move it! Faster! C'mon, c'mon!

Get a move on!

Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of Poland,

I speak to you tonight as the new head of the Polish Government.

I am here to address matters of the utmost importance.

The Fatherland is on the verge of the abyss.

Strikes and protests have spread across the country.

Enough is enough! It is time to put a stop to this.

It is my duty to prevent the proliferation of the invading alien forces.

I told you! That guy didn't fix shit.

The natural instinct of self-preservation is needed to survive.

It is time to act.

All agitators and aliens

can and will be brought to justice.

Heavy indeed is the burden and responsibility

that weighs upon me in this fateful moment of our history.

Faced with this emergency and with due process of law,

acting in accordance with the provisions provided by our own constitution,

I solemnly declare

martial law across the entire country as of midnight tonight.

Mr. Polgar.

Good evening!

And what brings you here?

Well, uh…

I was hoping to visit your father.

That won't be possible.

I'm afraid everything is off-limits now.

It's a landing zone for aliens.

Józef! Józef!

Józef! Józef!

Józef!

Oh!

Wait! Here, take some food with you!

God bless.

Good evening, Mr. Kunik!

There's no need to be afraid!

I'll guarantee your safety, Józef. There's no need to worry.

Come with me.

Where are they taking him?

To a safe place, Mr. Polgar.

To Arlamow.

You shouldn't have come here, you know. You should go home immediately.

Drive carefully, you never know what might happen on the road.

Aliens are at the border.

And as of midnight tonight,

the Utilitarian State Occupation will be in effect!

Utilitarian…

State Occupation.

Exactly, Mr. Polgar.

USO.

Drive home safely.